LONDON , England -- Scientists in the U.S. are developing a laser gun that could kill millions of mosquitoes in minutes .

The WHO has reported that around half of the world 's population is at risk of malaria .

The laser , which has been dubbed a `` weapon of mosquito destruction '' fires at mosquitoes once it detects the audio frequency created by the beating of its wings .

The laser beam then destroys the mosquito , burning it on the spot .

Developed by some of the astrophysicists involved in what was known as the `` Star Wars '' anti-missile programs during the Cold War , the project is meant to prevent the spread of malaria .

Lead scientist on the project , Dr. Jordin Kare , told CNN that the laser would be able to sweep an area and `` toast millions of mosquitoes in a few minutes . ''

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people from the bites of female mosquitoes .

It is particularly prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and kills an African child every 30 seconds , according to the World Health Organization .

There are an estimated 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally , resulting in more than one million deaths , the WHO reports .

Responding to questions about any potential harm the laser could pose to the eco-system , Kare said : `` There is no such thing as a good mosquito , there 's nothing that feeds exclusively on them . No one would miss mosquitoes , '' he said .

`` In any case , '' he added . `` The laser is able to distinguish between mosquitoes that go after people and those that are n't dangerous . What remains to be seen is how precise we can get . ''

He added that other insects would not be affected by the laser 's beam .

Kare said the lasers could be mounted on lamp post-type poles and put around the circumference of villages , to create a kind of `` fence '' against mosquitoes .

The research was commissioned by Intellectual Ventures , a Washington , U.S.-based company that was founded by Nathan Myhrvold , a former Microsoft Corporation executive .

His previous boss , Bill Gates , who funded the research , asked Myhrvold to look into new ways of combating malaria .

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Scientists are developing a laser that could kill millions of mosquitoes in minutes

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The system has been developed to tackle the spread of malaria

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Around one million people die of malaria each year , according to the WHO